Mock Exam Flashcards
What do proponents of dualism believe?
- Every brain structure occurs in both hemispheres of the brain.
- We have two hemispheres because we have two eyes.
- The mind is separable from the brain.
- The body is relevant for understanding the mind.
The mind is separable from the brain.
What is the res cogitans?
- the brain in the theory of Galen
- the general-purpose theory of cognition
- the mind in the theory of Descartes
- the anterior region of the pineal gland
the mind in the theory of Descartes
What did Franz Joseph Gall propose?
- Mental processes can be subdivided into acquired faculties.
- The brain operates holistically.
- Mental capacities can be inferred from the volume of the brain.
- Individual mental abilities can be inferred from the shape of the skull.
Individual mental abilities can be inferred from the shape of the skull.
What is the problem of functional brain maps that associate each area with a specific cognitive function?
- Brain maps lack the spatial precision that is required.
- Different regions in the brain have different functions.
- Brain maps are based on non-invasive imaging techniques.
- Cognitive processes are not encoded in a sparse fashion in the brain.
Cognitive processes are not encoded in a sparse fashion in the brain.
What is an example of a distal stimulus in vision?
- a light source that projects light with a wavelength between 380 and 750 nm on the retina
- a light source that projects light with a wavelength between 800 and 953 nm on the retina
- an object that is located behind the distal plane
- a TMS pulse that activates the bipolar cells of the retina
a light source that projects light with a wavelength between 380 and 750 nm on the retina
Which structure does incoming light not pass on its way to the retina?
- lens
- sclera
- pupil
- cornea
sclera
Where are the retinal photoreceptors located?
- in the layers of the retina first hit by the incoming light
- in the layers of the retina last hit by the incoming light
- near the ciliary region of the retina
- near the optic nerve region of the retina
in the layers of the retina last hit by the incoming light
Which of these cells cannot be found in the human retina?
- ganglion cells
- amacrine cells
- bipolar cells
- Purkinje cells
Purkinje cells
What is the Purkinje shift?
- the shift of perceived color hue between mesopic and scotopic vision
- the shift in perceived color brightness between photopic and scotopic vision
- the shift in perceived color when light is reflected from a Purkinje surface
- the shift of perceived color saturation between peripheral and central vision
the shift in perceived color brightness between photopic and scotopic vision
What is true about the human fovea?
- The foveal representation in the retina has only rods.
- The foveal representation in the retina has neither rods nor cones.
- The foveal representation in the retina has rods and cones.
- The foveal representation in the retina has only cones.
The foveal representation in the retina has only cones.
Why is the retinal density of S-cones lower than that of M-cones and L-cones?
- The retinal image of long-wavelength light is blurred.
- The retinal image of short-wavelength light is blurred.
- The retinal image of long-wavelength light is not blurred.
- The retinal image of medium-wavelength light is blurred.
The retinal image of short-wavelength light is blurred.
What is the receptive field of a neuron in the visual system?
- the region of the visual field where a person is currently directing their gaze
- the region in the retina from which a visual neuron receives information
- the region of the retina where a visual stimulus directly increases the spike rate of a neuron
- the region of the visual field where changes in a visual stimulus directly change the spike rate of a neuron
the region of the visual field where changes in a visual stimulus directly change the spike rate of a neuron
What is a Mexican hat filter?
- a model of cells in primary visual cortex that consists of a multiplication of a Gaussian with a sinusoid.
- a model of cells in primary visual cortex that consists of a multiplication of a sinusoid with a Gaussian.
- a model of cells in object-selective cortex that process body clothing
- a model of retinal ganglion cells that consists of excitatory and inhibitory subregions
a model of retinal ganglion cells that consists of excitatory and inhibitory subregions
B is the definition of a Gabor filter.
Which network mediates exogenous attention?
- the posterior attention network
- the dorsal attention network
- the frontal attention network
- the ventral attention network
exogenous = the ventral (= midcingulo-insular) attention network
endogenous = dorsal (= frontoparietal) attention network
What is true about serial search?
- It requires attention.
- It is redundant.
- It is preattentive.
- It is parallel.
It requires attention.
What is a characteristic of sensory (iconic/echoic) memory?
- It has a low capacity.
- It has a high capacity.
- Its capacity can be improved by training.
- It requires attention.
It has a high capacity.
What is a problem of oculomotor delayed-response memory tasks?
- It is unclear where an animal is attending before a saccade.
- They involve iconic memory because the delay time is too short.
- They require visuo-spatial processing.
- They mix up short-term memory and motor preparation.
They mix up short-term memory and motor preparation.
What is true according to slot models of visual working memory?
- Memory contents are encoded in the hippocampus.
- Memory contents are encoded in a graded fashion.
- Memory contents are encoded in an all-or-nothing fashion.
- Memory contents are encoded in the pre-SMA.
Memory contents are encoded in an all-or-nothing fashion.
What was true for memory patient H. M.?
- He had residual working memory.
- He had mood disorders and was impulsive.
- He had a lesion in primary visual cortex.
- He had intact anterograde memory.
He had residual working memory.
- bilateral medial temporal lobe resection (due to epilepsy)
- hippocampus removed and wasted
- minor retrograde amnesia / loss of declarative LTM of last 2 years before surgery
- anterograde amnesia / loss of declarative LTM
- normal intelligence, perception, STM unless distracted, procedural learning and priming
Where are the contents of episodic memory believed to be stored after consolidation?
- across the neocortex
- only in hippocampus
- across the entire brain
- only in prefrontal cortex
across the neocortex
What is a motor unit?
- all upper motor neurons innervating a single muscle fiber
- all muscle fibers of a single muscle
- all alpha motor neurons innervating a single muscle
- all muscle fibers innervated by a single alpha motor neuron
all muscle fibers innervated by a single alpha (= lower) motor neuron
What is true of movement coding in primate M1:
- All neurons encode direction of movement.
- More neurons encode specific muscles than direction of movement.
- All neurons encode specific muscles.
- More neurons encode direction of movement than specific muscles.
More neurons encode direction (50%) of movement than specific muscles (32%).
Which of the following structures contains neurons that synthesize dopamine?
- orbitofrontal cortex
- suprachiasmatic nucleus
- ventral tegmental area
- ventral striatum
ventral tegmental area (and substantia nigra)
Which of the following is a definition of the prefrontal cortex?
- the regions of the frontal lobe that don’t elicit movements when stimulated
- the neocortical regions of the frontal lobes
- the supply territory of the anterior cerebral artery
- the projection zone of the thalamic reticular nucleus
the regions of the frontal lobe that don’t elicit movements when stimulated (or the projection zone of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus)
What is true about the prefrontal cortex (PFC)?
- It reaches full development earlier than sensory brain regions.
- It reaches full development at the same time as sensory brain regions.
- It reaches full development later than sensory brain regions.
- It continuously develops throughout the lifespan.
It reaches full development later than sensory brain regions.
What is true about signal detection theory?
- d-prime is a measure of the criterion that is independent of sensitivity.
- d-prime is a measure of the distance between sensory distributions independent of their variance.
- d-prime is a measure of sensitivity that is independent of the criterion.
- d-prime is correlated with the sensory threshold.
d-prime is a measure of sensitivity that is independent of the criterion.
What is a neurometric function?
- a function measuring how much information a neuron has about a stimulus
- a function measuring how much information a participant has about a stimulus
- a function measuring how the spike rate of cells depends on attention
- a function measuring how many stimuli a person can consciously process
a function measuring how much information a neuron has about a stimulus
b = psychometric function
What is blindsight?
- the ability of people with visual field deficits to correctly guess properties of a stimulus
- the ability of blind people to imagine a visual stimulus
- the ability of people with retinal defects to process visual information
- the ability of people to see under very poor lighting conditions
the ability of people with visual field deficits to correctly guess properties of a stimulus
What is true according to the global neuronal workspace theory?
- Unconscious information is distributed throughout the brain.
- Conscious information is distributed throughout the brain.
- Conscious and unconscious information are distributed throughout the brain.
- Neither conscious nor unconscious information is distributed throughout the brain.
Conscious information is distributed throughout the brain.
Which brain region has most relevance for fear?
- Amygdala
- Insular cortex
- Anterior cingulate cortex
- Anterior insula
Amygdala = fear
insular cortex / insula = disgust, interoception
anterior cingulate cortex = anger
What is the res extensa?
physical brain processes
Who was an early proponent of cerebral Holism?
Flourens & Lashley
Who was an early proponent of cerebral localization?
Broca, Holmes & Penfield
How many eye muscles do humans have in total?
12
What are bipolar cells doing / how are they firing?
graded potentials
What are early stages in brain processing of working memory?
- ventral stream: V1, IT (Inferior Temporal Gyrus), IC (Insular Cortex), object identity
- dorsal stream: V1, PP (Posterior Parietal Cortex), DL (Dorsolateral PFC), spatial memory
Which area is most relevant for disgust?
Insula / insular cortex
What is true about the drift diffusion model?
- sensory regions encode evidence accumulation
- LIP codes momentary evidence, sensory regions code accumulated evidence
- microstimulation of sensory regions leads to an offset of the accumulation process
- microstimulation of sensory regions leads to an increase in drift rate of the accumulator
microstimulation of sensory regions leads to an increase in drift rate of the accumulator
What are ventral and dorsal attentional pathways coding for?
- ventral (= midcingulo-insular): exogenous/bottom-up
- dorsal (= frontoparietal): endogenous/top-down
What is exogenous attention?
capture of attention by salient stimuli
When entering the eye, the light will first hit …
- the retina
- photoreceptors
- the cornea
- the lens
the cornea
Which of the following cells do not elicit graded potentials?
- bipolar cells
- ganglion cells
- amacrine cells
- photoreceptors
ganglion cells
Because of axial chromatic aberration, there are …
- less S-cones than M-cones and L-cones in the fovea
- more S-cones than M-cones and L-cones in the fovea
- less L-cones than M-cones and S-cones in the fovea
- more L-cones than M-cones and S-cones in the fovea
less S-cones than M-cones and L-cones in the fovea
Which of the following is true of LGN?
- There are more magnocellular than parvocellular layers.
- There are more parvocellular than magnocellular layers.
- Each LGN nucleus contains only information from ipsilateral eye.
- Each LGN nucleus contains only information from the contralateral eye.
There are more parvocellular than magnocellular layers.
inner
- layer 1: magnocellular, contralateral eye
- layer 2: magnocellular, ipsilateral eye
- layer 3: parvocellular, ipsilateral eye
- layer 4: parvocellular, contralateral eye
- layer 5: parvocellular, ipsilateral eye
- layer 6: parvocellular, contralateral eye
outer
Which of the following statements regarding V1 is not true?
- Representation of the fovea is magnified in V1 compared to retinal representation.
- some cells in V1 code for spatial frequency.
- simple cells in V1 respond to objects moving in a preferred direction.
- V1 is organized retinotopically.
simple cells in V1 respond to objects moving in a preferred direction.
Which statement on covert and overt attention is correct?
- During covert attention gaze and attention are coupled.
- During covert attention one can involunatrily but not voluntarily decouple gaze and attention.
- During covert attention one can involunatrily and voluntarily decouple gaze and attention.
- During overt attention one can decouple gaze and attention.
During covert attention one can involunatrily and voluntarily decouple gaze and attention.
Neural substrates of attention…
- include a frontoparietal network that guides bottom-up attention to exogenous cues.
- include a frontoparietal network that guides top-down attention to exogenous cues.
- include a frontoparietal network that guides top-down attention to endogenous cues.
- include a frontoparietal network that guides bottom-up attention to endogenous cues.
include a frontoparietal network that guides top-down attention to endogenous cues.
What differentiates sensory and short-term memory?
- Short-term memory content cannot be actively rehearsed but sensory memory content can be.
- Sensory memory content decays slower (within s) than short-term memory (within ms).
- Sensory memory has an ultrahigh capacity for encoding, whereas short-term memory has a low capacity.
- Sensory memory has a low capacity for encoding, whereas short-term memory has an ultrahigh capacity.
Sensory memory has an ultrahigh capacity for encoding, whereas short-term memory has a low capacity.
Recalling a studied dance move is an example of
- semantic memory
- procedural memory
- classical conditioning
- habituation
procedural memory
Which of the following is not a commonly accepted stage of memory?
- Encoding
- Consolidation
- Retrieval
- Buffering
Buffering
Encoding, Consolidation, Storage, Retrieval
Which of the following statements is not true about patient H.M.?
- H.M. had an impaired IQ after resection of his medial temporal lobe.
- H.M. was treated for epilepsy.
- H.M. had no ability to form new long-term memory.
- H.M. showed mild retrograde amnesia.
H.M. had an impaired IQ after resection of his medial temporal lobe.
A patient with anterograde amnesia has difficulties…
- to remember all events before the injury including memories of the distant past.
- to remember all memories right before the injury but has preserved memories of the distant past.
- to remember new information.
- to learn new skills.
to remember new information
Which of the following statements on the medial temporal lobe memory system is true?
- The medial temporal lobe system includes as primary areas hypothalamus and amygdala.
- Integrates information on object identity and context.
- Is not involved in the encoding process.
- Stores long-term memory traces.
Integrates information on object identity and context.
- medial temporal lobe = hippocampus + amygdala
Memory retrieval of long-term consolidated memories
- occurs via a retrieval cue activating memory traces in hippocampal systems.
- occurs via a retrieval cue activating memory traces in neocortex.
- occurs within hippocampal and parahippocampal systems.
- occurs in the amygdala.
occurs via a retrieval cue activating memory traces in neocortex.
Which of the following statements on muscle innervation is true?
- Upper motor neurons can innervate multiple muscle fibres.
- Motor neuronal innervation runs entirely ipsilateral from brain to muscle.
- A motor unit is composed of several motor neurons and a single muscle fibre.
- A motor unit is composed of one lower motor neuron and several muscle fibres.
A motor unit is composed of one lower motor neuron and several muscle fibres.
Pyramidal tracts control
- voluntary movement
- involuntary movement
- monosynaptic reflexes
- polysynaptic reflexes
voluntary movement
Which of the following statements on the primary motor cortex (M1) is not true?
- The representation of the hand in M1 is disproportionally large.
- M1 neurons code for movement direction using population vectors.
- M1 neurons code for muscles groups with a homunculus.
- M1 neurons primarily process information for sensory-motor integration.
M1 neurons primarily process information for sensory-motor integration.
Negative reinforcement describes
- a stimulus representing an unconditioned incentive.
- a stimulus representing a conditioned incentive.
- strengthening of a behaviour after presentation of a positive consequence.
- strengthening of a behaviour after removal of a negative consequence.
strengthening of a behaviour after removal of a negative consequence.
Mesolimbic dopamine does not play a primary role in
- motor control
- motivational and emotional responses
- addiction
- processing of reward and desire
motor control
According to Schultz et al. (1997) a positive reward prediction error is followed by
- a dip in phasic mesolimbic dopamine in the ventral tegmental area.
- a spike in phasic mesolimbic dopamine in the ventral tegmental area.
- a spike in tonic dopamine in the substantia nigra.
- a drop of tonic cortical dopamine.
a spike in phasic mesolimbic dopamine in the ventral tegmental area.
Evidence on temporal discounting suggests that…
- a sooner smaller reward is discounted more than a later larger reward.
- a later larger reward is discounted more than a sooner smaller reward.
- all reward sizes discount at the same rate over time.
- reward values remain constant over time.
a later larger reward is discounted more than a sooner smaller reward.
The prefrontal cortex can be defined
- based on the regions of the frontal lobe that elicit movements when stimulated.
- based on projection zones of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus.
- based on projection zones of the ventromedial thalamic nucleus.
- based on basal ganglia projection zones.
based on projection zones of the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus.
Prefrontal cortical lesions result in
- anterograde memory loss.
- bradykinesia and rigidity.
- disinhibition and planning deficits.
- visual field deficits.
disinhibition and planning deficits.
In signal detection theory, high overlap of the noise and signal distribution
- has no influence on discriminability and performance accuracy.
- influences discriminability and performance accuracy.
- leads to more correct rejections.
- leads to less false positives.
influences discriminability and performance accuracy.
Potential origins of signal-to-noise variability do not include
- stimulus fluctuations.
- sensory processing.
- central processing such as attention processing.
- drift rate.
drift rate.
In drift diffusion models
- constant evidence relates to choice probabilities.
- accumulating evidence relates to behavioural responses chosen when a decision threshold is reached.
- constant evidence relates to behavioural responses chosen based on a set decision threshold.
- drift rate is independent of the strength of sensory evidence
accumulating evidence relates to behavioural responses chosen when a decision threshold is reached.
In dot motion perceptual decision-making task,
- a signal that is more coherent, corresponds to a slower accumulation of evidence (drift rate).
- a signal that is more coherent, corresponds to a faster accumulation of evidence (drift rate).
- varying coherence does not affect performance accuracy or reaction times.
- varying coherence increases performance accuracy and increases reaction times.
a signal that is more coherent, corresponds to a faster accumulation of evidence (drift rate).
Blindsight and hemineglect are discussed in consciousness research
- as the opposites of consciousness.
- as examples for unconscious processing of stimuli that patients are not aware of.
- as phenomena that consciousness cannot explain.
- as examples of normal consciousness as measured with wakefulness.
as examples for unconscious processing of stimuli that patients are not aware of.
Reliable methods to measure arousal responses before or during emotional experiences include
- measurement of saliva production.
- measurement of saccades.
- measurement of skin conductance.
- measurement of pupil dilatation.
measurement of skin conductance
The James-Lange theory suggests that
- emotional experiences trigger peripheral nervous system responses inducing arousal.
- peripheral nervous system responses to arousing stimuli trigger emotional experience.
- peripheral nervous system responses and emotional experiences occur simultaneously.
- Emotional experiences are unrelated to peripheral nervous system responses.
peripheral nervous system responses to arousing stimuli trigger emotional experience.
Which of the following theories is not a neural theory on consciousness?
- Theory of microconsciousness.
- Theory of hierarchy.
- Theory of recurrent processing.
- Theory of a global working space.
Theory of hierarchy
Which of the following is not a subscale of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)?
- verbal comprehension
- processing speed
- associative ability
- perceptual organization
associative ability
subscale is called associative learning
A common theory of intelligence suggests
- brain volume to be most predictive for intelligence.
- gender to be most predictive for intelligence.
- individual differences in cognitive function to derive from differences in neural efficiency.
- peripheral nerve conduction velocity to be a poor predictor of general intelligence (g-factor).
individual differences in cognitive function to derive from differences in neural efficiency.
The theory of neural resources states that
- neural activity is negatively correlated with behavioural performance.
- neural activity is positively correlated with behavioural performance.
- neural activity and behavioural performance are uncorrelated.
- The relationship between neural activity and behavioural performances has not yet been investigated in neuroscience.
neural activity is positively correlated with behavioural performance.
The commonly named subcategories of long-term memory systems are …
- endogenous and exogenous
- explicit and embedded
- declarative and non-declarative
- perceptual and episodic
declarative and non-declarative
Typical Parkinson’s disease symptoms do not include…
- non-motor symptoms
- rigidity
- bradykinesia
- ataxia
ataxia (lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements)
Thorndike’s law of effect suggests that…
- stimulus-response associations are weakened by rewards.
- stimulus-response associations are strengthened by rewards.
- a response producing a punishment is more likely to occur in a similar situation in the future.
- punishment and reward influence classical conditioning.
stimulus-response associations are strengthened by rewards.
Which of the following assumptions is true?
- Intelligence has a heritability that varies across lifespan.
- IQ can be measured independent of cultural biases.
- Intelligence has a heritability of approximately 50%.
- Brain activity does not relate to performance in an IQ test.
- Intelligence has a heritability of approximately 50%.
- Intelligence has a heritability that varies across lifespan. (also true according to slides)
How does the prefrontal cortex perform executive control according to Miller & Cohen (2001)?
- It memorizes the best action plans.
- It establishes new stimulus-response associations.
- It modulates the flow of signals from sensory to motor regions.
- It calculates the value of different behavioral options.
It modulates the flow of signals from sensory to motor regions.
What is a preferred stimulus of simple cells in V1?
- lines with a variable location in the receptive field
- lines of a fixed spatial location in the receptive field
- lines with an orthogonal orientation
- concentric circles with on- and off-regions
lines of a fixed spatial location in the receptive field?
What was one of the earliest brain regions for which localization of function was shown?
- Wernicke’s area
- Amygdala
- Broca’s area
- Striate cortex
Broca’s area
Which statement about visual attention is true?
- The dorsal network mediates exogenous orientation of attention.
- Attentional modulation starts at the level of the optic nerve – but attention starts in V1.
- Attentional mechanisms can be subdivided into endogenous attention and top-down attention.
- Attentional modulation in V4 is stronger than in V1.
attentional modulation in V4 is stronger than in V1
What is a double dissociation?
- two brain regions that are involved in processing a specific task
- a cognitive function that can be affected by at least two different non-overlapping brain lesions
- a brain region that is supplied by two different arterial supply systems
- two cognitive functions that can be affected independently each by specific brain lesions
two cognitive functions that can be affected independently each by specific brain lesions
For what kind of information is the dorsal visual pathway specialized?
- Color
- Motion
- Spatial location
- Object Identity
Spatial location
ventral pathway = object identiy
With which technique did Gordon Holmes demonstrate the human visual field topography of V1?
- Mapping of gunshot wounds
- Mapping with functional magnetic resonanse imaging
- Mapping with direct cortical stimulation
- Mapping with EEG source localization
Mapping of gunshot wounds
Which of the following regions is a main part of the brain’s reward system?
- Hippocampus
- Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
- Nucleus accumbens
- Nucleus affectivis
Nucleus accumbens (part of ventral striatum)
Which of the following abilities is spared after a selective hippocampus lesion?
- the ability to learn to ride a bike
- the ability to learn the associations between events
- the ability to learn a person’s face
- the ability to memorize the events of a day
the ability to learn to ride a bike
What is true for human visual short-term memory (vSTM)?
- vSTM involves encoding of contents in early visual brain regions.
- The contents of vSTM are encoded only in prefrontal cortex, but not in sensory regions.
- vSTM involves encoding of contents in the lateral geniculate nucleus.
- vSTM requires an active transformation of contents.
vSTM involves encoding of contents in early visual brain regions.
What is the res cogitans?
- a special substance underlying conscious thinking that is independent of the body
- a problem solving task in an intelligence test of the roman military
- an executive function that is triggered when no routine operation is available
- a special fMRI scanning sequence that allows to resolve elements of cognitive processes
a special substance underlying conscious thinking that is independent of the body
Which of the following is NOT a state of consciousness?
- coma
- maximally conscious state
- vegetative state
- REM sleep
maximally conscious state
Blindsight is an example of …
- information processing in the blind spot
- processing without conscious perception
- conscious information processing
- congenital blindness
processing without conscious perception
In binocular rivalry, the same stimulus is presented to both eyes.
- True
- False
False
Which of the following theories is prefrontalist (assumes PFC is necessary for experience)?
- microconsciousness
- integrated information theory
- global neuronal workspace theory
- recurrent processing theory
global neuronal workspace theory
Conservative response bias …
- decreases subjective threshold
- increases subjective threshold
- increases objective threshold
- decreases objective threshold
increases subjective threshold
A motor unit consists of …
- multiple upper motor neurons + multiple muscle fiber bundles
- one upper motor neuron + muscle fiber bundle
- one lower motor neuron + muscle fiber bundle
- multiple lower motor neurons + multiple muscle fiber bundles
one lower motor neuron + muscle fiber bundle
Divergence factor refers to fine tuning of muscle control being larger if one neuron innervates only a few muscles.
- True
- False
True
The dorsal spinal tract contains efferent signals (from brain to muscles).
- True
- False
False
Which of the following is a part of the central motor system?
- amygdala
- pituitary gland
- basal ganglia
- ventral tegmental area
basal ganglia
Direction of movement is well described by
- the tuning profile of single neurons
- population vectors
- orientation tuning
- center-surround properties
population vectors
Primary motor cortex is organized in a somatotopic fashion.
- True
- False
True
